Love is when
by SageK
Summary: Picks up where Season 2 ended.  Jack/Erica & Joshua/Lisa
1. Chapter 1

New York City was never silent.

Except now it was.

Amidst the crowd of living, breathing statues, Agent Erica Evans stood with her arms wrapped firmly around Jack Landry. He, like everyone else, was immobile, standing with his face tipped skyward, gazing up at the V mother ship hanging ominously overhead.

Clearly, Anna had figured out how to Bliss humans.

How could they fight that? It seemed almost impossible. Almost, but not entirely.

Shaking herself, Erica shifted to stand in front of Jack, calling his name again, refusing to release her hold on him. "Jack," she said, both demanding and pleading. "Jack, please look at me!"

She reached up, cupping his face in her hands, rough stubble against her palms. "Please Jack, don't give in. I need you. Fight it!"

She wasn't sure how many times, in how many variations she repeated that sentiment and she let out a breath that was almost a sob when he moved, blinking and lowering his eyes to meet hers.

The others were still immobilized by their euphoria.

"Erica," he croaked, then his eyes widened almost comically. He glanced around, even as his hands found purchase on her waist, grasping at her hips almost desperately. "Oh, no…."

His murmur was soft and troubled as he figured out what had happened, so, drawing his gaze back to her own, she asked, "Jack, do you feel all right? The Bliss…."

"No. Yes. I don't…" he paused and shook his head, one hand dropping from her hip to fumble in his own pocket. "I'm me, but that was…."

His voice trailed off and he looked away from the sky, blessing himself with a hand now clutching his Rosary Beads in a white knuckled grip.

She wanted to give him time to collect himself, but that was a luxury they couldn't afford. Finally releasing her grip on his jaw, she took a firm hold of his arm and began to lead him back the way she'd come, back to the entrance to Project Aires.

That's when she noticed others had followed her up, out of the bunker. She saw Chris and Paul amongst the men and women trying, and failing, to shake sense back into random civilians as she had with Jack. A few people seemed to have been galvanized into motion, but they ignored everyone around them, wandering off with vacant smiles on their faces.

Ryan had been able to deny himself bliss because of his love for Val. Joshua had once thrown it off with revolutionary spirit and just recently had tossed off a more thorough attempt at brainwashing. Lisa, her feelings for Tyler making her question her mother, turned her back on Bliss in favor of true feelings.

Since that first night in the warehouse, Erica knew she and Jack had shared…a connection. Sure, it had suffered some stress recently, mostly due to her brief foray with the dark side, but still it was there. Somewhere, lost in Anna's bliss, he'd heard her voice, felt her nearness and realized something was wrong. He'd rallied and shaken off the intoxicating influence, though he was still clearly dazed.

"We're not alone," she murmured reassuringly to Jack, though she wasn't sure how much of his attention was on her. He was still fingering the Rosary a little desperately, frowning pensively as he let her lead him along, so she didn't push. Instead, she called out, "Chris!"

Her partner and boss reacted to her voice, both abandoning their unresponsive blissed people to jog in her direction. Erica broke into a trot to meet them and Jack kept pace.

"He like them?" Chris asked, eyeballing Jack and the way Erica had her arm looped through his.

"No," Erica said, her voice chorusing with Jack's as he gave eyed Chris and Paul in return before looking to Erica and asking, "What exactly…How weren't you effected?"

"We were underground." Kendrick and Bolling frowned at her unhappily, but she shot them a dark look. They'd brought her into Aires and Jack was with her. That was that.

"The better question is why weren't you effected?" Chris asked and Erica was puzzled by the bottled anger her old friend seemed to be directing at Jack.

"I was," Jack replied offhandedly, turning his troubled gaze to the oblivious crowd. "It was…peace. Everything I've ever done that weighed heavily on my soul…it was just gone. But I heard you, distorted, like I was underwater. Then I knew something just wasn't right…."

It was clear he was speaking to Erica, even if he wasn't looking at her. Blinking, Jack shook his head, trying to sort out the vague impressions dancing at the edges of his consciousness. "Sorry, it was just very strange."

"The important thing is that you fought it," Erica said, free hand patting him on the chest. "We know we can fight, like they do."

"They?" Kendrick asked, clearly puzzled.

All at once, realization crashed down on Erica. Sure, project Aires knew about the V's, had known about them for years. It had been foolish to think they'd gone undetected on Earth for decades. She should have known better.

But clearly, they didn't know that the Fifth Column resistance had been begun by a V and not a human.

It was clearly time for them to pool what they knew. Hopefully, it would be enough to help them fight.

* * *

><p>Something was different.<p>

Something _felt _different.

Medical bag tucked neatly under his arm, Joshua shook himself mentally as he left Anna's quarters. Logically, he knew there had been no discernable change. The ship's environmental control saw to that, but he was certain he'd felt a chill when he'd been informed that Amy had blissed humanity when Anna could not.

In fact, the queen's attempt had weakened her and Joshua had left her in her room to recover, Amy curled up beside her and Marcus watching them both intently.

If Joshua didn't know better, he would have sworn he saw a look of fear in Marcus's eyes.

The humans aboard the ship were acting normally. Perhaps, because they had already shown to have allied themselves with her by moving to the ships, she felt they posed less of a possibility of revolution.

Crossing one of the open plan common rooms, lost in thought, Joshua was startled by a chirpy greeting.

"Hi, Doctor Joshua. Nice night, huh?"

Amongst the live aboards there was a small cluster of teen age girls. They seemed to move in a pack, accompanied by an ever present cloud of too sweet perfume and a low hum of high pitched music from their Ipods. Much to Joshua's confusion, they seemed to be in his proximity a statistically improbable amount of time and never failed to attempt to engage him in conversation.

Peering down at the Alpha of the group, the one who seemed to speak for them all, he inclined his head. "It is," he agreed, not wanting to get in to the fact that the entire ship was climate controlled. He had a feeling that would needlessly extend the conversation.

Then something caught his eye and he looked more intently at one of the other girls. "You've changed your hair," he said, taking in the long, wavy blond tresses. It looked quite like how Lisa often wore hers. "It looks lovely."

The girl flushed and touched her hair, murmuring, "Thanks."

With that the others all burst out giggling and they moved off to huddle on one of the couches, waving to him as they went.

Of all the humans he'd met, teenage females were probably the strangest.

As he made his way into the less populated areas of the ship, Joshua gathered his thoughts. Getting Lisa off of the ship would be difficult, if not impossible, but now he had an idea….

* * *

><p>Sitting in the odd, vine covered, egg shaped chair, Lisa blinked, tears trickling down her cheeks. The air was damp and slightly chilly. Had it been warmer, it would have been humid and nearly comfortable.<p>

But it wasn't warm.

She'd been entirely alone since the image of her double, ripping out Tyler's throat, had disappeared. When she heard the sound of the secret entrance, she assumed it was her mother, come to rub in her victory once again.

But it was not Mother who stepped into view, but a much more welcome sight.

"Joshua!"

As she said his name, Lisa surged to her feet. She had feared that Mother might have discovered his involvement in the attempted coup. His presence led her to believe he was still successfully playing his role as a dutiful, obedient minion.

"Lisa," he greeted her, warm, troubled eyes assessing her for damage. "Are…you hurt?"

She shook her head and blurted out the thing gnawing at her thoughts. "She made me watch…Tyler die."

His expression softened and he stepped toward her, hesitantly raising a hand to touch her arm. "I know. I'm sorry."

In the cold room his hand seems almost hot enough to sear her skin, but it is a warmth she needed. Collapsing in on herself, Lisa leaned into his chest, burying her face in the soft fabric of his shirt to hide her tears. For a moment, he stood frozen, clearly unsure what to do, but then he embraced her gently.

Later, she realized that Joshua, despite having been in touch with his feelings for far longer than she, had never been in a position to be free with them. He'd probably never hugged anyone before.

They should have been talking, planning, but she just couldn't. She needed a moment to just mourn, to be comforted by the only person she could trust. Who trusted her, even though she'd screwed up and hadn't been able to kill her mother.

She wept into his shirt and he made small, comforting sounds, murmured about having a plan. Maybe he did or maybe he was just trying to make her feel better, but it helped just knowing he wanted her to feel better.

When her tears quieted, she turned her face to the side but stayed in the circle of his arms. Who knew how often he'd be able to get down here to see her? She was going to take solace while she could. "Tell me what's going on," she requested softly.

She didn't want to ask, but she had to.

"Your mother attempted to bliss the humans. It might have killed her, had Amy not stepped in. She was successful."

Lisa did not like that child. Dread filled her as she asked, "Are they all…?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly, patting her back. "We'll figure something out. We have to."

Earlier, she hadn't thought she could feel anymore hopeless.

She had been wrong.

* * *

><p>Even though he was still a bit dazed, Jack had to admit the massive bunker Erica and her coworkers led him down to was a lot more impressive than Hobbes's basement. The place was swarming with men and women from a veritable alphabet of federal agencies, as well as uniformed military officers.<p>

Understandably, everyone was going a little nuts over the sudden, mass blissing of…well, it seemed like very few people had escaped Anna's influence.

The man in charge, Lars Tremont, was not pleased. A vein in the man's forehead had threatened to burst when Erica and her co-workers had led Jack into the doomsday bunker, then he'd paused when they said Jack wasn't a bliss zombie.

That made him suddenly very interesting and, before Jack knew it, he found himself being hustled through a barrage of medical exams, brain scans and debriefings. Dozens of strangers came in and asked him a repetitive series of questions for hours. They introduced themselves in a blur - FBI (not Erica or anyone he knew), CIA, NSA, CTU, NTAC, ATF, DOD, HLS, a slew of different military representatives (Jack actually found the familiarity something of a relief).

By the time they let him leave with Erica, it was late afternoon. That was disconcerting. The passage of time was hard to judge in an underground bunker. He'd thought she would drop him off at Hobbes's basement, well, he supposed it was his basement now that the mercenary had disappeared, but she'd put the kibosh on that plan.

She'd simply shaken her head. "Paul sent someone over there and we put our things in my car. You can stay with me."

The streets were still oddly quiet, though people were going about their daily lives. He was eerily reminded of the Stepford Wives film he'd seen years ago. Everyone seemed serene and just…wrong. New York City was supposed to pulse with life, to hit you like water bursting forth from a dam.

This was barely a trickle.

"Was anyone else unaffected?" he asked grimly, gazing out the window as she drove.

"A few," she replied, strain clear in her voice. "I wasn't able to contact Sid or Chad, but Paul told me that several nations around the globe have their own version of Project Aires. And they brought in some very confused transit officers."

"Transit Police?" He wondered why they hadn't been effected.

Pulling into her driveway, Erica said, "Apparently they were checking on the report of a body down in the underground tunnels beneath the subway. It seems that anyone far enough below the surface was protected from the bliss."

"But it could happen again," Jack said, and shuddered. He dreaded the thought of having that not quite euphoria wash over him. Even in it's wrongness, it offered a sort of peace he'd never known. It was understandable that those unaware would embrace the feeling. A thought struck. "What about submarines? Did water block the…brainwashing?"

She nodded. "Some of the naval officers have made contact with several sub commanders and they seem to be fine."

Well, that was something. Shouldering his bags, Jack followed Erica into her home. The house was still and silent, though a few things looked a bit out of place. When the goons from Project Aires had grabbed Erica, they hadn't been concerned with being overly neat.

She stooped, scooping up her phone, checking it for messages with more than a small hint of desperation. Jack knew there were a couple from him, left before the blissing and hoped she'd find one from Tyler. She'd yet to reach him and Jack knew worry was gnawing at her.

Unsure where to go, he set his bags by the stairs and stepped over to right the over turned laundry basket. Habitual neatness drove him to refold the rumpled clothes as Erica tried futilely to call Tyler or Lisa. Neither of them answered.

"Damn it!" she said, slapping a palm down onto the counter top and dropping the phone. "Where is he?"

There really wasn't anything that Jack could say to make her feel better. If Tyler wasn't answering, there wasn't much else she could do at the moment without revealing that she hadn't succumbed to Anna's bliss. Anyone who had surely wouldn't have any concerns for their child aboard the mother ship.

Quietly, Jack stepped to her side and laid his hand atop hers. Without looking at him, she responded by curling her fingers around his, squeezing tightly.

Hand in hand, they stood in the silence, battered and wounded but still in the fight. Both of them were aware that their chances of survival were scant at best, but neither had it in them to surrender.

Together, they'd fight until they couldn't.

TBC…

Comments, pretty please?


	2. Chapter 2

During the course of his life Joshua had often had the misfortune to be in the position to have to do may unpleasant things. When he was feeling particularly morose, he mused that it seemed to be his lot in life. As he walked down the street toward Agent Evans home, he knew that, once again, someone was about to be deeply hurt, as Lisa had asked him to inform Tyler's mother of his death in person.

As the humans said, this was going to suck.

With the vast majority of humanity blissed in to complacency, he had been shocked to find Agent Evans still placing calls to Tyler's cell phone, which he had lifted from the boy's clothes after Anna ordered him to take his body down to storage. Somehow, she had avoided the influence of the bliss and Lisa had set him on a mission.

It had taken him some time to make his way to Agent Evans's home, as he'd never ventured beyond the Visitor Center on Earth, but eventually, he found himself standing on her front stoop, wearing strangely rough human clothing. He contemplated the barrier for a moment before pressing the lone button that was placed nearby. From within the house, he heard a chime.

Mere moments later, the door was yanked open to reveal a flustered looking Agent Evans, whose expectant face fell when she saw it was him standing there.

Clearly, she had been hoping to find Tyler instead.

"Joshua," she greeted him in a surprised tone, waving a hand to usher him in. As she closed the door, she blurted the question he could practically see in her eyes. "Is Tyler all right? I haven't been able to get in touch with him since before…."

She trailed off, waving a hand. He knew what she meant. Since before the majority of the human race had been blissed.

From another room, a tall, blond man appeared , crossing to stand by Agent Evans's side. Clearly, he'd heard her greeting and said, "Good to meet you, Joshua."

The doctor recognized his voice and was relieved to have another member of the Fifth Column present as he broke his news. "You as well, Father Landry," Joshua said, then took a breath, bracing himself. He wasn't entirely sure how to say what he had to say. Growing up as he had, tact was not something he was overly familiar with. "Diana is dead, as is Ryan. Anna has imprisoned Lisa and skinned her newly birthed heir in Lisa's likeness. She was sent to Tyler to procure his genetic material and, once she was done…I'm sorry. Tyler was killed."

For a moment, she simply stared at him as though he was speaking a language she didn't understand. Then she staggered a halting step backwards. Father Jack caught her arm as she shook her head, eyes still locked on Joshua as she said, "No, no, no…."

Her knees gave out and it was only Jack's hold on her that kept her from collapsing. As her mouth opened, no sound came out, her pain stealing her breath and voice. She shook, tears escaping her eyes and she twisted in Jack's grip, beyond consolation.

The priest lowered himself to his knees, settling Erica down gently, murmuring wordless sounds of compassion and comfort. Joshua found himself at a loss, not knowing how to deal with this kind of expressed grief. He had no comparable loss, the closest probably being David's death at his own hands. He had wanted to cry for his brave friend, to mourn him even as he respected his sacrifice, but David had been his friend, not his child.

He wanted to run, to flee from the pain and grief that he felt he had no business witnessing. He had brought the news that caused her mourning, could not begin to know how to soothe her, so his presence must have been intrusive, unwanted.

But he couldn't bring himself to leave.

Instead he stood there, watching on of his few allies cry into the chest of another, her wrenching wails muffled in his shirt. Jack was holding her in the protective circle of his arms, rocking her back and forth. Occasionally, she'd flail a bit, hands grabbing his sleeves or weakly hitting his chest or back.

She sounded…broken.

The sort of broken only time would heal.

* * *

><p>After Anna (or rather Amy, as they later discovered) blissed humanity, Erica had a few moments of stark fear when Jack didn't respond, but slowly, as she'd stood there embracing him and murmuring his name, he'd shaken free of the thrall, blinking at her in confusion. He was proof that humans could turn away from bliss, as V's like Ryan, Joshua and Lisa had.<p>

He was a literal embodiment of hope for her and the others at Project Aires, who then knew there was a chance of breaking people from Anna's hold and recruiting more to the fight.

Because the fight was coming.

That first night, Erica had taken Jack back with her to her home and they'd basically passed out on the couch. They'd been woken by a knock on the door and found a very uncomfortable looking Joshua there.

It was then that Erica learned her son was dead, killed by Anna's progeny, a daughter who wore Lisa's face. She hadn't heard much after that, but later Jack told her Joshua had left quickly, saying something about working on a plan to free the real Lisa from a brig on the ship.

What hurt the most was the fact that she couldn't strike back at Anna, couldn't act out in any manner that would reveal the fact that she hadn't been turned into one of the shiny, happy people like 99% of the planet's population.

Her grief had to be private and, after a few, lost days of inconsolable despair, she raged. She shouted and screamed until her throat was raw, sometimes throwing things around. Through it all, Jack didn't waver. He held her when she needed to be held, made sure she ate and got to the bunker Aires was working out of.

Little by little, she pulled herself out of her haze of grief, taking note of the things around them.

Anna's ships had landed at the Concordia sites, hanging there so ominously. It was almost worse that they had yet to make any other obvious move, which caused the few remaining unblessed humans to grow edgier and edgier as the days wore on. More and V's came down on shuttles and interacted with the blissed humans…it was like they were scouting for something.

On a more pleasant note, Sidney, in all his paranoid, compulsive note taking glory, shook off the blissing fairly quickly and had contacted Jack (during Erica's mourning time-out), who connected him with Aires. By the time Erica was feeling up to going back to the bunker, Sid was driving the more buttoned up staff there to the point of insanity.

"It's not that he's annoying," Nikki Watts, a bio-chemical researcher who'd been with Aires for a few months, had said, "He just has more energy than a squirrel on meth."

Also good was the fact that Joshua had managed to get himself and the real Lisa off of the mother ship. Tremont had nearly blown a blood vessel at the thought of being able to grill them for information and Erica thought he'd seemed almost disappointed that they'd been willing to share anything they knew.

But it wasn't long after that when the attacks abductions started. Large groups of blissed people just up and vanishing. In an attempt to safeguard assets, all personnel moved into the shielded bunker, which came equip with more than enough dorm style rooms.

Like everyone else at Project Aires, they fell into a fairly steady routine. Erica spent more of her time in strategy meetings while Jack had found a niche with some of the soldiers on base, who had been happy to have a chaplain, even one who wasn't technically a priest any longer.

Looking around the windowless cell, it's two government issue twin beds and foot lockers, Erica just shook her head. She wondered if they had been deluding themselves this whole time, playing at being rebels and now were facing the reality of what was sure to be a nasty conflict.

An hour later, Jack arrived, having helped mediate Sid's rooming situation. The scientist had been zipping around like a Tasmanian devil hopped up on crack and Red Bull and many of the Project Aires staff found that more than vaguely irritating. To the point where they didn't want to room with him. It took some negotiation, but a more tolerant airman had finally agreed to bunk with Sid.

To the vague disgruntlement of Chris and the surprise of Paul, Erica and Jack had claimed a little room for themselves. She assumed they were scandalized over the 'priest' thing, though it didn't really apply anymore. Jack hadn't been uncomfortable, but then again, he'd held her as she cried herself to sleep many times since Tyler's death.

They were comfortable with each other.

"How'd the Sid-Housing situation work out?" she asked Jack as he dropped onto his own bed and snorted.

"Airman Feehan finally agreed, as he works the radar station overnight, so there won't be much actual cohabitation," he told her, then gave her a look. "Did you neat dinner?"

She had a habit of forgetting the little things, like eating, when stressed.

"I did," she replied, "Did you?"

Jack nodded. "The mess was serving meatloaf. It was…interesting."

Wrinkling her nose, Erica snorted indelicately. "I particularly enjoyed the paste like potatoes."

He chuckled. "Vegetables should not come in powdered form."

She quirked a smile at him, then let herself just take a moment to enjoy the peace between them. Jack was sitting sideways on his bed, long legs hanging off the edge, shoulders and head propped up against the wall. He was wearing a pair of BDU pants and a regulation t-shirt and he looked at home in the uniform. The edge of the shirt had become rucked up a little and she could see a strip of skin above his belt, taut and lightly tanned despite spending most of his recent time indoors.

Last night she'd had a bad night and had wound up sharing Jack's cot. It was a good thing neither of them had any extra weight on them, because military issue cots were not made to hold two bodies comfortably. Somehow they managed.

She'd woken this morning with her head tucked under Jack's chin and one of her hands resting on his stomach, having wormed itself under his shirt as they slept. These days, sometimes it was a comfort to just touch another human being. As his breath puffed against her brow, Erica allowed her fingers to smooth over the tantalizing skin, stopping when his abs clenched.

She'd hit a ticklish spot.

It was early and, though he'd woke with a start, Jack didn't seem to be in any hurry to hop out of bed. Instead he laid there, still holding her in his arms, not mentioning the hand splayed across his lower belly. In a daring move, his fingertips brushed the skin at the small of her back and she sighed.

Little moments like that had been coming more and more often, even in these dire times. The connection they'd had since that spark arching across that crowded warehouse months ago (a lifetime ago). Clasped hands on a rooftop, shared secrets and support…all leading to something inevitable. Sure, there had been obstacles, not the least of which being the fact that he was a priest and she had taken a little side trip into self-destructive land, but through it all they had held on to that underlying sense of unity.

When he extended his hand toward her, she rose and clasped his fingers in her own, allowing him to pull her onto the bed beside him. She settled on her right hip, against his side with a sigh, resting her cheek against his shoulder. As she leaned into him, her left leg slid atop his and she let an arm slide around his waist. In turn, he hugged her closer and let his cheek brush the crown of her head.

Neither of them would mention the little caresses, the occasional brush of a kiss against a neck or back. For them, the emotional intimacy had taken root and, with each passing day, they came closer and closer to taking the next step.

When they did…Erica was fairly certain it would be one hell of a step.

* * *

><p>"Lisa, it's time."<p>

After more than a month in the swamp prison, Lisa was more than ready to be anywhere else. She was tired of being cold and damp and eating the strange, mush like food that appeared twice daily. Joshua had been her only visitor, sneaking down to see her in the evenings. Those visits had kept her sane. She didn't know how her grandmother had survived for so long.

Sneaking her off of the ship was not something they could accomplish on their own, so Joshua had spent the past several weeks making suitable arrangements. Rising, Lisa asked, "What is the cover story?"

So as not to involve the live aboards more than they had to, they were not telling them any more than was necessary.

"They believe they're helping you sneak off of the ship because you have been 'grounded' by your mother. To human teenagers, being grounded means…."

"Yes, I know what it means," she assured Joshua with a smile. Again it struck her that, despite his extensive experience with the Fifth Column, he had very little practical interactions with humans. She'd been immersed in their ways due to her relationship with Tyler.

"Very good," he said, nodding and leading her to the point on the floor which could be triggered to exit the room. "I will be traveling Earthside as well, but we mustn't interact till we're safely away from the landing site."

"There is a small deli several blocks from the Peace Ambassador Center," she mused. "Richardi's."

"I will see you there." He paused a moment and gave her arm a gentle, reassuring squeeze before triggering the mechanism that drew them from the cell and up into the hall.

A small gaggle of young human females were waiting for them and descended the moment they appeared, drawing Lisa into the center of their group. As they proceeded toward the shuttle bay, they girls handed her a grey, fleece blazer and helped her tuck her long, blonde hair up under a cute, little crochet cap.

Once they reached the more populated areas, the girls began to chat, going on about some actor. It was loud, giggly, inane conversation, but everyone seemed to tune them out, ignoring them as they passed, including the V attendant by the shuttle's entrance.

They kept up their chatter until they parted ways with Lisa outside the Peace Ambassador Center. As she walked toward the deli where she planned to meet Joshua, Lisa marveled at the effectiveness of the teenager's distraction. Everyone had gone out of their way to avoid them, not even noticing her presence amongst the giggling masses.

Richardi's Deli was far less noisy and crowded than she remembered. That probably had something to do with the lingering effects of Amy's bliss. People still wore vague, happy expressions, unlike the varied emotions she was used to when surrounded by humans. There were a few signs of animation returning and she hoped more would recover, given enough time.

Of course, any recovery would be cut short if Anna had Amy bliss them again.

She sat at a small table, sipping a cup of herbal tea as she waited for Joshua to arrive. Nearly 10 minutes later, he did and she did a double take.

Somewhere, Joshua had gotten his hands on a very human set of clothes. He was wearing dark blue jeans, boots, a white t-shirt and a olive green canvas jacket. Though he was attempting to carry himself casually, it was clear to her he wasn't quite comfortable in them.

Raising a hand, she waved him over to join her. He did, slipping into the seat opposite her and wrapping a hand around the mug she pushed in his direction. On a whim, she had ordered him a hot chocolate, just to see his reaction to the sweet, tasty human drink. She was fairly sure he'd yet to actually taste any of the varied foods available on Earth.

"We should call Agent Evans," he said quietly, accepting the drink with a small smile. "I'll feel better once we get you to safety."

His statement made her blink. "You're not going back, are you?" she asked, feeling a cold knot form in her stomach. He couldn't honestly think to return to the ship.

"Not here," he murmured and she realized he didn't want to have this discussion where anyone might overhear. It was a good precaution, she supposed.

When he sipped his cocoa, his reaction was one of startled pleasure. He peered into the mug, contemplating the rich, creamy chocolate and Lisa hid her smile in the rim of her own cup.

Clearly, they'd be finishing their drinks before they went to meet Erica.

TBC…

Comments, pretty please?


	3. Chapter 3

When they found Lisa and Joshua, sitting together in a remote area of the stacks at a small library, the younger blond almost threw herself into Erica's arms. They embraced fiercely and it was a touching scene, made only a little awkward by the fact that Lisa refused to release Joshua's hand.

The expression on the doctor's face was so human that Jack nearly laughed, but restrained himself as brown eyes turned to him, clearly saying _**Oh, I am so very uncomfortable right now. Help. Help me please!**_

Immediately upon releasing Erica, Lisa implored her, "Tell him he can't go back!"

"Lisa," Joshua murmured, seemingly unhappy with this line of conversation, "I have to…."

"No, you don't," she insisted. "Mother will know you helped me and she'll kill you."

The young doctor was shaking his head. "You know I'm good with the computer systems. I've already set up some routines to alter footage and she believes that I…."

"You will stay." There was a note of finality in the girl's voice and she drew herself up to her full height, glaring up at Joshua. He seemed at a loss as to what he should say, mouth opening silently though he refused to break her gaze.

Jack exchanged a puzzled look with Erica who decided to intervene. "We should get back to Project Aires now," she said kindly, "There are folks who would like to debrief you both."

The trip back to the bunker was mostly quiet. Lisa crossed her arms and settled back in her seat, casting the occasional glance over at Joshua, who, if Jack didn't know better, appeared to be pouting. The doctor, a veteran member of the Fifth Column, a man who had been willing to lay down his life to ensure their cause could continue, was staring out the back window of the SUV, a particularly mulish look on his face.

He didn't seem to be at all pleased with Lisa's decree that he should remain on Earth with her.

And yet, once she'd made that statement, he hadn't said a word to contradict her.

It was Lisa who broke the silence. "I don't wish you to die, Joshua."

"It should be my choice," he replied and suddenly Jack realized what it happened.

The V's followed their queen with unquestioning devotion. No order Anna gave was ever contradicted by one of her loyal (brainwashed) subjects. For members of the Fifth Column, shaking off such an ingrained response was probably one of the more difficult aspects of rebelling.

In Lisa, Joshua had found a new queen, one he believed worthy of loyalty, one he was willing to die for. Though he wanted to return to the ship, to continue acting as their eyes and ears on board, if she i_ordered_/i him to remain, he would do as she said. It was an act indicative of the depth of his devotion to her as his chosen queen.

As Jack was realizing this, Lisa seemed to be having her own epiphany. "Joshua," she said, trying to get him to look at her. When he refused, she reached across the seat and grasped his arm, shaking him slightly. "Joshua, of course it's your choice. I just, I don't, I wish you'd choose to stay."

Her voice trembled and whatever resolve the young doctor was holding onto crumbled. He looked over at Lisa and said, "All right. I will stay. Perhaps there will be something useful I can do here."

Lisa relaxed somewhat at his statement and nodded. Glancing sideways, Jack met Erica's eyes for a moment. She gave a slight shrug, which he returned. Joshua and Lisa were nice kids, but who really knew what was what when it came to be interpersonal relationships of aliens.

When they reached Project Aires, Tremont, Kendrick and Bolling were waiting for them as they stepped off the elevator. All three men regarded Joshua and Lisa with more than a little suspicion, quickly hustling them off to interview rooms. There had been a slight issue when Tremont had ordered them separated for questioning, but Erica had smoothed out over by telling them it was standard procedure and that she would accompany Lisa and Jack would stay with Joshua.

Many hours later, both young V's had been questioned to the edge of their tolerance and they were released into Erica's custody. Since both of them looked wrung out, they took them down to the commissary, got a quick bite to eat, and then installed them in the room next door to their own.

Neither made a fuss about the shared living arrangement, clearly glad that they would not be separated again.

"We are right next door if you need anything," Erica said, giving Lisa a quick hug as they headed towards the door. The young girl nodded and proceeded to peer around the room. It wasn't much. Two beds, a table, two storage trunks... Pretty much your basic, military issue quarters. "There should be a few changes of clothes in the trunks."

"Thank you," Joshua said, looking relieved. Jack had noticed him plucking at the thigh of his jeans occasionally, unused to the material and clearly not fond of it. He wasn't sure the younger man would like standard issue BDU's any better.

It was late by the time they finally enter their own room. Erica dropped onto her bed with a sigh and said, "It's good they're here."

Jack agreed. Many people at the lost in the fight against Anna, so the knowledge that Lisa and Joshua were safe, exploring the room next door, was one less burden. "It is," he said, settling himself onto the edge of his own mattress.

In short order, they'd begin their nightly routine. She'd gather up her sleeping clothes and head to the women's restroom to change and he would go to the men's. Upon returning, they'd read were simply chat until it was time to sleep. Some nights, the bed nights, she'd join him on his cot and he would hold her.

Tonight when she left, Jack stayed behind, as he'd use the facilities before dropping Joshua off at his quarters. Tossing his worn jeans and Henley into the laundry basket, he reflected that it would be time to do laundry soon and tugged on a clean pair of soft, gray sleep pants.

He was still fishing around in his trunk, searching for a clean T-shirt, when Erica reappeared. She wore a pair of black yoga pants and a loose tank top, her face washed free of her normal, minimal makeup.

Jack always thought she looked loveliest like this.

* * *

><p>It had been a good day.<p>

The occasions on which they could make that claim were few and far between, but Lisa and Joshua were alive and safely deposited in the room next to her own. No one they knew had died and even Sid had gone the whole day without annoying anyone to the point where they made threats against him.

Sure, no one was actually going to stick him into a FedEx box and mail him to Anna, but it was one of the more popular grumbles among the support staff that worked with him.

She felt tired, but in a good way, as she made her way back to her room, dirty clothes bundled under her arm. When she pushed the door open, Erik was surprised to find Jack standing there with his back to her, shirtless and wearing only a pair of low-slung cotton pants.

It was not an unpleasant or unwelcome sight, merely unexpected and she froze, barely a step into the room, and stared.

He noticed her arrival and turned to look over his shoulder with a smile. "Laundry day tomorrow," he quipped, pulling a faded, blue shirt from the depths of his trunk.

A part of Erica's mind wondered how he managed to maintain a light tan when they spent most of their waking hours underground. His chest and shoulders were broad, smooth save for a small patch of Golden curls between his pectoral muscles. She appreciated how his body tapered down to slim hips, appreciated the bunch and flex of his biceps as he fussed with his shirt, preparing to put over his head.

Acting on impulse, something she might not have done if she wasn't so tired, Erica tossed her close onto the footlocker and stepped towards him. Both his arms were in the shirt and he was preparing to tug it over his head when she grabbed, startling him as she pulled his arms down using the fabric to pin them between their bodies.

"Erica?" he said in a mildly startled tone, gazing down at her with wide eyes.

They been circling each other for months now, almost since the day they met, but for the longest time there had been the insurmountable fact that he was a Catholic priest. Even after he'd been laicized, it seemed like one thing after another happened, there'd been no time, they'd been to emotionally overwrought….

Tonight, she felt good. Her friends were safe and she was standing in the room she shared with the man she cared for more than any other. He was her friend, her partner, her confidant and much more. Until now, any physical interaction between them could have been explained away as comfort, as friendship, even though they both knew there was something else there as well.

"Am I out of line?" she asked simply, standing barely an inch from him, close enough to feel the heat radiating off of him.

Erica knew she needed to let him be the one to make the first move, given the fact that he was the one whose avocation had forbidden such things in the past.

She could see in his eyes that he knew she was waiting on him. For a tense moment, she thought he was going to step back, put some distance between them, then he let out a breath and relaxed toward her. Allowing his head to droop, he rested his brow against hers and said, "You know you're not."

He was so close that his lips brushed hers with a feather light caress as he spoke and she smiled, brushing her nose against his as he leaned closer. Leaning slightly forward, he captured her mouth with his own, sweet and tentative at first, but his confidence quickly built as she returned the attentions. With some judicious wriggling, he freed his arms from where she'd trapped them, dropping his shirt to the floor, and brought his hands up to bury them in her hair.

When he tilted her head back slightly, changing the angle, Erica let out a little moan and slid her hands up his sides, wrapping around his shoulders as she pulled herself flush to him. Through the thin layers of their pajamas, she could feel him, hot and half hard, pressing against her and she rolled her hips into him, drawing a choked little whimper from….

_**Bam! Bam! Bam!**_

This time they both groaned, but in frustration, no desire.

Glad for the door lock, Erica shouted, "What?"

"The fuhrer is demanding you two get you butts up to command. Some sketchy V stuff going on," Sid shouted and, as the door rattled, Erica was very glad for locks. "C'mon, guys, what the heck…uh, yeah, I'll be up in command."

It was pretty clear that Sid chose to flee then and Erica let out a sigh. "Well, the grapevine will be getting some news tonight."

Jack snorted. "They already think we're sleeping together."

Startled, Erica looked at him. "How do you know that."

"People still feel compelled to tell me things," he replied, glancing toward his clothes with a sigh. "I suppose we'd better get dressed."

It was the last thing she wanted to do, but really, what choice did they have?

TBC…

Comments, pretty please?


End file.
